2015 CPEO Brownfields List Archive

From: Lenny Siegel <lsiegel@cpeo.org>
Date: Thu, 19 Mar 2015 22:58:21 -0700 (PDT)
Reply: cpeo-brownfields
Subject: Re: [CPEO-BIF] New York State's Brownfields program "Ripe for Reform"
 
Erie County brownfields efforts seen as successful
Environmental group calls N.Y. program ‘broken’ overall


By Jonathan D. Epstein
Buffalo News (NY)
March 19, 2015 -


A new report by a statewide environmental group calls Erie County one of the few “pockets of success” for the state’s Brownfield Cleanup Program, even as it criticized the overall program as a “broken system” that has left taxpayers “footing the bill” for projects in wealthier markets that would get done, anyway.

The report by Environmental Advocates of New York comes as state lawmakers and Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo have presented dueling visions for the program, which will expire at the end of the year unless it is extended. Cuomo, the State Senate and the Assembly would all extend the program, but their proposed changes differ sharply and must be reconciled before any legislation can proceed.

…

For the entire article, see
http://www.buffalonews.com/business/real-estate/erie-county- brownfields-efforts-seen-as-successful-20150319



On Mar 19, 2015, at 6:27 PM, Larry Schnapf wrote:

There are a number of misstatements and errors in this report. It also
focuses on sites that were accepted into the BCP prior to the 2008
amendments which have for the most part corrected the issues raised in the report. The NYC Brownfield Partnership will be releasing a report prepared by Bary Hirsh of NYU that will more accurately report on the brownfield tax
credits (BTCs).

L

Lawrence Schnapf

55 East 87th Street #8B
New York, New York 10128
212-876-3189 (p)
917-576-3667(c)
Larry@SchnapfLaw.com
www.SchnapfLaw.com
AV Preeminent Rating from Martindale-Hubbell
Listed in 2010-14 New York Super Lawyers-Metro Edition
Listed in 2011-14 Super Lawyers-Business Edition
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Chambers USA 2009-10 Client Guide of America's Leading Lawyers for Business.


-----Original Message-----
From: Brownfields [mailto:brownfields-bounces@lists.cpeo.org] On Behalf Of
Lenny Siegel
Sent: Thursday, March 19, 2015 9:05 PM
To: Brownfields Internet Forum
Subject: [CPEO-BIF] New York State's Brownfields program "Ripe for Reform"

News Release
Environmental Advocates of New York
March 19, 2015


170 Brownfield Cleanups Cost Taxpayers $1.4 Billion Broken system ripe for
reform in SFY2015-16 budget

Albany - New York's Brownfield Cleanup Program is a broken system that has cost taxpayers $1.4 billion to clean up just 170 sites - an average payout of $8.2 million per site. Structural deficiencies within state law has left thousands of toxic brownfields off tax rolls, while taxpayers are instead footing a huge bill for projects that would have occurred regardless of the program's existence. These costs are expected to balloon, as the state is
liable for payouts totaling an additional $3.3 billion for projects
currently in the system.

"Brownfields cleanup is crucial, particularly in a state with so many
polluted sites holding back our communities," said Peter Iwanowicz,
executive director. "But the current program is out of control. It costs
taxpayers too much and cleans up too little. While there are certainly
pockets of success - like Erie County - these trends do not carry statewide. Taxpayers are footing the bill for an extraordinarily costly and broken
system that is in desperate need of reform."

For instance, since 2010, credits paid out for 17 development projects in
Erie County totaled $15,562,827, for an average cost of $915,460.
Comparatively, six Manhattan projects during that same period cost taxpayers
$186,618,573 for an average cost of $31,103,096.

.

For the entire release and a link to the full report, see
http://www.eany.org/our-work/press-release/170-brownfield-cleanups- cost-taxp
ayers-14-billion

--

Lenny Siegel
Executive Director, Center for Public Environmental Oversight a project of
the Pacific Studies Center 278-A Hope Street Mountain View, CA 94041
Voice: 650-961-8918 or 650-969-1545
Fax: 650-961-8918
LSiegel@cpeo.org
http://www.cpeo.org




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--

Lenny Siegel
Executive Director, Center for Public Environmental Oversight
a project of the Pacific Studies Center
278-A Hope St., Mountain View, CA 94041
Voice: 650/961-8918 or 650/969-1545
Fax: 650/961-8918
<lsiegel@cpeo.org>
http://www.cpeo.org

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